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If you’re reading this, you likely call California home. Sure, you have beautiful weather almost year-round and economic opportunities around you, but there’s one thing missing if you’re local — a legalized betting market.
That especially hurts this time of year when it’s March Madness. Across the 68 teams and 63 teams, there are near-endless March Madness betting chances for the final three weeks of the month. About 38 states in the country will have these gambling opportunities at their disposal — but not the Golden State.
So does that mean California bettors have no shot at betting the NCAA Tournament tournament? Nope, not at all. They do, if they’re creative. Keep on reading and we’ll tell you how to get in March Madness fun despite the lack of legal California betting!
How To Bet On March Madness If You’re In California
There are two ways to bet on March Madness for Californians. Well, there’s more but these two are the most reasonable for the typical person. Here they are:
Visit A Nearby State
Alright, this only makes sense if you live not far away from a state where sports betting is legal. For those who live in, say, San Luis Obispo or another somewhat central town of the state, it’s best to skip this section and read our second method. But if you live not that far away from the borders of Arizona, Nevada, or Oregon, stick with us!
Nevada is the easy one — we mean, Las Vegas betting is THE mecca, after all. Yes, the legalization of sports betting elsewhere has taken some of the shine off Sin City, but Vegas is still Vegas. There’s just an aura being there, plus the physical sportsbooks are state-of-the-art. For those living in Southern California, Vegas is not a far-off drive (three to four hours).
Sticking to Southern California, Arizona is about the same distance as the Nevada border. While there may not be a huge gambling culture in this desert state, it does have legal sports betting. Mobile gambling is legal too so you can cross state lines and immediately pull up DraftKings or FanDuel to bet — no need to keep driving to a big city, say Phoenix or Tucson.
Let’s not neglect our Northern California folks. Say you call San Francisco home (or somewhere nearby in the Bay Area). Driving-wise, you’re about five hours away from the Oregon border. That’s another option, albeit a little more restrictive than Nevada or Arizona. That’s because Oregon is a one-app state. Only DraftKings is licensed there via the Oregon Lottery.
Obviously, driving across the state border is not cheap — both on gas spent and opportunity cost too (what you could be doing instead of driving and betting). As we mentioned, this option only makes sense if live in the area. For everyone else in California? We reccomend this next thing:
Use An Offshore Sportsbook
This is, without a doubt, the better option for California bettors: join an offshore sportsbook. We know what you’re probably thinking, “wait, is that illegal?” Well, not exactly. But because these sportsbooks are located offshore — in foreign countries where betting IS legal — they can skirt around the rules of California, the United States, or any other country for that matter.
We’ll stop short of calling them legal, but they work perfectly fine — and that’s why we suggest them over driving across state lines. Visit these online betting sites and they’ll offer the full gamut of March Madness bets (plus other sports too). No bet is off limits. No Californian city is off-limits. Nothing.
And despite their legal-not-legal status, law enforcement won’t do a thing. First of all, it’s illegal for internet service providers to snitch the sites users are browsing — so that’s one safeguard. Second, and more importantly, California has “bigger fish to fry” than folks trying to wager online. It’s a legit non-issue so don’t be afraid away from testing these online bookmakers.
Not only that, but these offshore sportsbooks are largely good products. The top platforms rival popular betting apps like BetMGM or FanDuel. Seriously. Offshore bookies offer even more bets (since they’re not regulated) and often, bigger sign-up bonuses.
The latter of which will come in clutch during March Madness. Bonuses for new sign-ups routinely go for $500 to $1000 — and even $2500 on the high end. That’s free money that can be leveraged for NCAA tourney betting.
Interested yet? If free money and at-your-finger-tips betting aren’t enough to sway you, then maybe you should just sit on March Madness betting. For everyone else, we recommend the following five sportsbooks:
Which California Teams Made The NCAA Tournament Anyway?
One last thing we had to mention: California teams are well-represented at March Madness. Perhaps you have a rooting interest in the teams that are dancing — UCLA, UC San Diego, and Saint Mary’s. San Diego State also qualified but they were knocked out by North Carolina in the play-in game.
California bettors, you have everything you need to put money on March Madness bets. Don’t let the state’s strict rules hold you back — betting is 100 percent within your control here.
Best Betting Sites 